🏙️ [Update] Services 2.0 is now here for Everyone 🏙️

The ultimate guide for Mayors

 

Hello Mayors!

Finally your city is about to run smarter — Services 2.0 is now live for all players! After a gradual rollout and lots of anticipation, every Mayor will be able to experience the upgraded Services system. You’ll find new ways to optimize your city, upgrade your Service buildings, and enjoy a smoother, more strategic city-building experience. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know to make the most of Services 2.0 and keep your citizens happy and thriving.

 

🏆 Some quick tips before diving into the details

• Use your gifted upgraded Services first!
• Check the Report Card for a city-wide overview and to fix issues quickly.
• No need to rush, Mayor—during the Services Season, Services won’t cause any happiness or population problems for your city, so you have plenty of time to make improvements!
• Upgrades help you serve more citizens with fewer buildings—freeing up space for your creative vision.

 

🚩 “Services in red” issue is now fixed

You can play confidently, knowing that your Service status indicators are accurate and reliable. 

Previously, some players experienced issues where Services would incorrectly appear in red. We’re happy to confirm that these issues have now been fully fixed. 

 

🏗️ Rearranging Your City: A Worthwhile Investment 

All bigger city development initiatives require some time and resources, but it all becomes worthwhile when you see the long-term benefits:

• Upgraded Services occupy less space, freeing up valuable land for your creative vision.
• You’ll reduce clutter and have more room for the buildings you love.
• The new system is more engaging and strategic, giving you more ways to optimize your city and keep your citizens happy.

 

🔎 Watch Out for Abandoned Buildings and Road Connections 

Any city-wide construction projects can make your citizens unhappy and even move elsewhere, especially if their house might have lost a road connection. Your City Report Card will tell you if there's an issue to be fixed, so keep an eye out for any abandoned buildings or buildings that are missing a road connection. Sometimes, it can take a little while for these buildings to become abandoned, but even one abandoned or disconnected building can cause your Services to show up in red. 

Make sure all your buildings are properly connected to roads and services to keep your city running smoothly and your citizens happy.

 

🎁 Migration Gifts for Existing Players

You are not left alone to handle this big undertaking!

Every existing player who was migrated to Services 2.0 has been gifted Service buildings, land deeds and currency. The type and amount of your gifts were carefully selected based on your city’s progress and needs, so you should be well on your way to successfully complete the city optimisation with the new and improved Services!

Check your in-game messages and the Services menu to see what you’ve received.
Some of your gifted buildings are already upgraded!
You can use these free Services first before spending Simoleons on new Service buildings.
This is our way of saying thank you for being a dedicated Mayor and making the transition as smooth as possible.

 

🛠️ How Services 2.0 Works: The Basics

1. Service Building Types

Capacity Services: Power, Water, Sewage, Waste, Omega Control Net, Omega Drones

Area Services: Fire, Police, Health

 

2. Upgrading Service Buildings

All Service buildings now have upgrade levels.

Upgrading increases their capacity (how many Residential Zones, or RZs, they can serve).

For Area Services, upgrades do NOT increase the coverage area, only the capacity. The area covered by the building remains the same, but you can serve more RZs within that area as you upgrade.
Upgrades require Simoleons in your main city and Design Simoleons in the City Design Challenge.
Upgrades apply to all Service buildings except Maxis buildings.
Bulldozing a Service building refunds a percentage of the base price plus the price of upgrades done, based on the currency it was purchased with.

 

3. A City Awakens: The Step-by-Step Arrival of Modern Services

With Services 2.0, your city enters a golden window of opportunity—during the entire Services Season, even if some services are struggling, your citizens won’t feel the negative effects. This special period lasts as long as the Services Season, giving you the freedom to plan, upgrade, and organize each service at your own pace, ensuring your city thrives as you prepare for the future.

 

🏗️ Why Did We Make This Change?

Many Mayors found it challenging to fit all the necessary Service buildings into their cities, especially as they scaled in population. Services 2.0 solves this by allowing you to upgrade existing buildings instead of placing more and more of them in the limited space of your cities. In the long run, you’ll save space, reduce clutter, and have more room for the buildings you love. Plus, the new system is giving you more ways to optimize your city and keep your citizens happy.

 

🖥️ Service Building UI & Tooltips

Service buildings now display their current level and capacity in the building info panel.
Tapping the "i" or "upgrade" icon switches to the service's data layer and expands the info element for that building.
If a Service building cannot fully serve all residential zones within its area, a red service icon will appear, and tapping it will show you more details.
You can also see valuable information in the City Report (the button in the upper left corner of the game screen, next to population and happiness). From here, you can identify and fix different Services issues.

 

🔄 Moving and Bulldozing Service Buildings

Moving and bulldozing Service buildings works as before.
Bulldozing refunds a percentage of the base price plus the price of upgrades, based on the currency used for purchase.

 

📈 More Gameplay Depth & Goals

Upgradable Services add more depth to gameplay and introduce new mid-term goals for players.
You’ll have more opportunities to solve the “service puzzle” as your city grows.
Upgrades are also visualized by changing building models at certain levels.

Thank you for being a part of the SimCity BuildIt community. We can’t wait to see the amazing cities you’ll build with Services 2.0!